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Prince Philip Biography

Prince Philip has been the official consort to Queen Elizabeth II since her ascension to throne in 1952.

Born into the royal family of Greece, Philip Mountbatten served in the British Royal Navy during world War II, making made a name for himself as a fast-rising young officer. After the war he became engaged to Princess Elizabeth and they were married on November 20, 1947. (He was created Duke of Edinburgh and his official title, by the queen’s decree, is The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.)

Beyond his many royal duties as the queen’s companion, Prince Philip became known as a keen outdoorsman and conservationist; in 1961 he co-founded and became the first president of the World Wildlife Fund. An avid sportsman, he passed his love of polo on to his son Prince Charles. Over the years The Duke of Edinburgh also developed a reputation for blunt and impolitic public quips, such as his 1966 comment that “British women can’t cook.” In May of 2017, Buckingham Palace announced that Philip would retire from public life that fall, though the statement said the Duke “may still choose to attend certain public events from time to time.”

Extra credit

Prince Philip was the son of Prince Andrew of Greece; he later adopted the family name of Mountbatten from his mother’s side… Both Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth are great-great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria; Philip is descended from Victoria through his mother’s side of the family… Like Victoria’s husband Prince Albert, Philip has served as the Chancellor of Cambridge University… Prince Philip was played by James Cromwell in the 2006 movie The Queen; Helen Mirren played Elizabeth II.